Press-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatus

ABSTRACT

A press-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatus is proposed, which is designed for use with a battery-powered electronic component, such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) memory unit installed on a computer motherboard, for providing the CMOS memory unit with a user-operated press-activated discharging facilitating function, and which is characterized by the capability of allowing the user to facilitate the discharging of the CMOS memory unit simply by pressing the battery cell used to power the CMOS memory unit, without having to dismount the battery cell from the motherboard and flip hardware jumpers as in the case of prior art. This feature allows the discharging process of the CMOS memory to be carried out more conveniently and efficiently.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to electronics technology, and more particularly,to a press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus which is designed for use with a battery-powered electroniccomponent, such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)memory unit installed on a computer motherboard, for providing the CMOSmemory unit with a user-operated press-activated dischargingfacilitating function that allows the user to facilitate the dischargingof the CMOS memory unit simply by pressing the battery cell used topower the CMOS memory unit.

2. Description of Related Art

A computer's motherboard is typically provided with a battery-poweredspecial-purpose memory unit for storing a set of important systemconfiguration data, such as clock data, passwords, and so on, whichallows the computer system to nonetheless hold these data while poweredoff. In actual implementation, this special-purpose memory unit istypically a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) based memoryunit which is powered by a small battery cell, typically a buttonbattery, such that when the computer system is powered off, the batterycell can still supply electrical power to the CMOS memory to allow theCMOS memory to retain its clock function.

In actual application, when the user needs to clear all data in the CMOSmemory, a discharging process is performed on the CMOS memory to drainall the electrical charges I that represent data in the CMOS memory. Aconventional method for discharging a CMOS memory unit includes a firststep of dismounting the CMOS memory's battery cell from the motherboard,and a second step of short-circuiting the negative electrode and thepositive electrode of the CMOS memory unit by means of manually flippinghardware jumpers on the motherboard.

In practice, however, the above-mentioned method for discharging CMOSmemory has several drawbacks. First, the dismounting of the battery cellis quite laborious and tedious and would easily cause damage to thebattery cell. Second, the dismounted battery cell would be easily lostdue to its very small size. Third, the flipping of the jumpers requiresthe user to consult technical manuals to find the correct way to do it,and therefore is quite laborious and time-consuming and thusinefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide apress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatuswhich allows the user to activate a CMOS memory unit to undergo adischarging process without having to dismount its battery cell from themotherboard.

It is another objective of this invention to provide a press-activatedelectronic component discharging facilitating apparatus which canprotect the CMOS memory's battery cell from being damaged during thedischarging process.

It is still another objective of this invention to provide apress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatuswhich can prevent the CMOS memory's battery cell from being lost duringthe discharging process

It is yet another objective of this invention to provide apress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatuswhich allows a CMOS memory unit to undergo a discharging process withouthaving to use hardware jumpers.

The press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus according to the invention is designed for use with abattery-powered electronic component, such as a CMOS (ComplementaryMetal Oxide Semiconductor) memory unit installed on a computermotherboard, for providing the CMOS memory unit with a user-operatedpress-activated discharging facilitating function that allows the userto discharge the CMOS memory unit simply by pressing the battery cellused to power the CMOS memory unit.

In structure, the press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus according to the invention comprises: (A) asupportive base, which is used to support the battery cell, and which isstructured with a first connecting portion and a second connectingportion, wherein the first connecting portion is electrically connectedto the first-type electrode of the electronic component, while thesecond connecting portion is electronic component to the second-typeelectrode of the same electronic component; (B) anelectrically-conductive elastic member, which has a first end and asecond end, wherein the first end is mechanically linked andelectrically connected to the first connecting portion of the supportivebase, while the second end is abutted to and in electrical connectionwith the first-type electrode of the battery cell; and (C) anelectrically-conductive switching member, which is mounted on thesupportive base and electrically connected to the second connectingportion of the supportive base, and which is structured with a firstcontact portion and a second contact portion, wherein in the conditionthat the electrically-conductive elastic member is in unpressed state,the second end of the electrically-conductive elastic member urgesagainst the battery cell and thereby causes the second-type electrode ofthe battery cell to come in electrical contact with the first contactportion of the electrically-conductive switching member; and whereas inthe condition that the electrically-conductive elastic member is inpressed state due to the battery cell being subjected to an externalpressing force, the external pressing force on the battery cell causesthe second-type electrode of the battery cell to be separated andelectrically disconnected from the first contact portion of theelectrically-conductive switching member and meanwhile causes thefirst-type electrode of the battery cell to come in electrical contactwith the second contact portion of the electrically-conductive switchingmember.

The press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus according to the invention is characterized by the capabilityof providing a CMOS memory unit with a user-operated press-activateddischarging facilitating function that allows the user to facilitate thedischarging of the CMOS memory unit simply by pressing the battery cellused to power the CMOS memory unit, without having to dismount thebattery cell from the motherboard and flip hardware jumpers as in thecase of prior art. This feature allows the discharging process of theCMOS memory to be carried out more conveniently and efficiently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference madeto the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of thepress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatusaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing a side view of thepress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatusof the invention shown in FIG. 1 while in unpressed state; and

FIG. 2B shows the same of FIG. 2A except when in pressed state toactivate a discharging process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus according to the invention is disclosed in full details by wayof preferred embodiments in the following with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a perspective view of theapplication and structure of the press-activated electronic componentdischarging facilitating apparatus according to the invention (as thepart enclosed in the dotted box indicated by the reference numeral 100).As shown, the press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus of the invention 100 is designed for use inconjunction with a battery-powered electronic component, such as a CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) memory unit 10, which ispowered by a battery cell 20, such as a button battery (or called coinbattery), for the purpose of providing the CMOS memory unit 10 with auser-operated press-activated discharging facilitating function thatallows the user to facilitate the discharging of the CMOS memory unit 10simply by pressing the battery cell 20; i.e., in normal operation, thepress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatusof the invention 100 allows the battery cell 20 to supply electricalpower to the CMOS memory unit 10, and when it is needed to discharge theCMOS memory unit 10, the user needs just to press against the batterycell 20 with his/her finger to activate the discharging process.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, for example, the battery cell 20 is alithium/magnesium dioxide battery cell, which has a flat back surfaceserving as a negative electrode (−) 21 and a flat front surface servingas a positive electrode (+) 22; and correspondingly, the CMOS memoryunit 10 has a negative electrode (−) 11 and a positive electrode (+) 12.In actual applications, the battery cell 20 can supply electrical powerto the CMOS memory unit 10 simply by connecting the negative electrode(−) 21 and the positive electrode (+) 22 thereof respective to thenegative electrode (−) 11 and the positive electrode (+) 12 of the CMOSmemory unit 10; and when it is needed to discharge the CMOS memory unit10, this purpose can be achieved simply by short-circuiting the negativeelectrode (−) 11 and the positive electrode (+) 12 of the CMOS memoryunit 10. Further, it is to be noted that in the embodiment of FIG. 1,the battery cell 20 is oriented in such a manner that its negativeelectrode (−) 21 faces upwards and its positive electrode (+) 22 facesdownwards; but in other applications, the electrode orientation of thebattery cell 20 can be reversed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus of the invention 100 comprises: (A) a supportivebase 110; (B) an electrically-conductive elastic member 120; and (C) anelectrically-conductive switching member 130. Firstly, the respectiveattributes and purposes of the constituent components 110, 120, 130 ofthe press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus of the invention 100 are described in details in thefollowing.

The supportive base 110 is designed for integration to a circuit board(not shown), such as a computer motherboard, for accommodating thebattery cell 20, and which is structured with a first connecting portion111 and a second connecting portion 112. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,the first connecting portion 111 is used for electrical connection tothe negative electrode (−) 11 of the CMOS memory unit 10, while thesecond connecting portion 112 is used for electrical connection with thepositive electrode (+) 12 of the same CMOS memory unit 10.

The electrically-conductive elastic member 120 is for example ametal-made spring or other functionally equivalent device, which has afirst end 121 and a second end 122, wherein the first end 121 ismechanically linked and electrically connected to the first connectingportion 111 of the supportive base 110, while the second end 122 isabutted to and in electrical contact with the first-type electrode ofthe battery cell 20. In practical implementation, for example, anelectrically-conductive supportive disk 123 can be optionally attachedto the second end 122 of the electrically-conductive elastic member 120for providing a more secured support to the battery cell 20.

The electrically-conductive switching member 130 is a specially-designedmetal member which is formed with a first contact portion 131 and asecond contact portion 132, and whose bottom side is securely attachedto the supportive base 110 and electrically connected to the secondconnecting portion 112 of the supportive base 110. In actualapplication, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, in the condition that theelectrically-conductive elastic member 120 is in unpressed state andfreely extended upwards, the second end 122 of theelectrically-conductive elastic member 120 will urge against the bottomside of the battery cell 20 and thereby cause the positive electrode (+)22 on the upper side of the battery cell 20 to come in electricalcontact with the first contact portion 131 of theelectrically-conductive switching member 130; and whereas as illustratedin FIG. 2B, in the condition that the electrically-conductive elasticmember 120 is in pressed state due to the battery cell 20 beingsubjected to an external pressing force (indicated by the arrow in FIG.2B), the external pressing force on the battery cell 20 causes thepositive electrode (+) 22 of the battery cell 20 to be separated from(and thus electrically disconnected) the first contact portion 131 ofthe electrically-conductive switching member 130 and instead causes thenegative electrode (−) 21 on the bottom side of the battery cell 20 tocome in electrical contact with the second contact portion 132 of theelectrically-conductive switching member 130.

The following is a detailed description of a practical example of theapplication of the press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus of the invention 100 during actual application.In this application example, it is assumed that the battery cell 20 isoriented in such a manner that its negative electrode (−) 21 facesupwards and its positive electrode (+) 22 faces downwards; but in otherapplications, the electrode orientation of the battery cell 20 can bereversed.

As shown in FIG. 2A, when the battery cell 20 is mounted in position onthe supportive base 110, its negative electrode (−) 21 faces upwards andits positive electrode (+) 22 faces downwards to be supported on theelectrically-conductive supportive disk 123, whereby the positiveelectrode (+) 22 of the battery cell 20 comes in electrical contact withthe electrically-conductive supportive disk 123 while the negativeelectrode (−) 21 of the battery cell 20 is forcibly abutted against thefirst contact portion 131 due to the elastic force of theelectrically-conductive elastic member 120. Under this condition, thenegative electrode (−) 21 on the bottom side of the battery cell 20 iselectrically connected via the electrically-conductive elastic member120 to the negative electrode (−) 11 of the CMOS memory unit 10, whilethe positive electrode (+) 22 of the battery cell 20 is electricallyconnected via the electrically-conductive switching member 130 to thepositive electrode (+) 12 of the CMOS memory unit 10, therebyestablishing a circuit loop that allows the battery cell 20 to supplyelectrical power to the CMOS memory unit 10.

Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 2B, when it is needed to discharge the CMOSmemory unit 10, the user needs just to press against the upward-facingside of the battery cell 20. This pressing action will cause theelectrically-conductive elastic member 120 to be compressed and thebattery cell 20 to be shifted downwards in position, thereby causing thepositive electrode (+) 22 on the front side of the battery cell 20 to beseparated and electrically disconnected from the first contact portion131 of the electrically-conductive switching member 130, and meanwhilecausing the negative electrode (−) 21 on the back side of the batterycell 20 to come in electrical contact with the second contact portion132 of the electrically-conductive switching member 130. Under thiscondition, since the positive electrode (+) 22 of the battery cell 20 isno longer in electrical contact with the first contact portion 131 ofthe electrically-conductive switching member 130, the circuit loop forsupplying electrical power to the CMOS memory unit 10 is broken.However, at this time, since the negative electrode (−) 21 of thebattery cell 20 is still in electrical connection with the negativeelectrode (−) 11 of the CMOS memory unit 10 via theelectrically-conductive elastic member 120, and since the negativeelectrode (−) 21 is now also in electrical connection with the positiveelectrode (+) 12 of the CMOS memory unit 10 via theelectrically-conductive switching member 130, it effectivelyshort-circuits the negative electrode (−) 11 and the positive electrode(+) 12 of the CMOS memory unit 10, thereby allowing the CMOS memory unit10 to be discharged through this short-circuited loop.

After the discharging process is completed, the user needs just towithdraw his/her finger from the battery cell 20, and the compressedelectrically-conductive elastic member 120 will cause the battery cell20 to be restored to its original position shown in FIG. 2A, therebyallowing the battery cell 20 to again supply electrical power to theCMOS memory unit 10.

In conclusion, the invention provides a press-activated electroniccomponent discharging facilitating apparatus which is characterized bythe capability of providing a CMOS memory unit with a user-operatedpress-activated discharging facilitating function that allows the userto facilitate the discharging of the CMOS memory unit simply by pressingthe battery cell used to power the CMOS memory unit, without having todismount the battery cell from the motherboard and flip hardware jumpersas in the case of prior art. This feature allows the discharging processof the CMOS memory to be carried out more conveniently and efficiently.The invention is therefore more advantageous to use than the prior art.

The invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments.However, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is notlimited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended tocover various modifications and similar arrangements. The scope of theclaims, therefore, should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

1. A press-activated electronic component discharging facilitatingapparatus for use with an electronic component that is powered by abattery cell, where the electronic component and the battery cell eachhas a first-type electrode and a second-type electrode for electricalconnection with each other, for the purpose of providing the electroniccomponent with a press-activated discharging facilitating function; thepress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatuscomprising: a supportive base, which is used to support the batterycell, and which is structured with a first connecting portion and asecond connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion iselectrically connected to the first-type electrode of the electroniccomponent, while the second connecting portion is electronic componentto the second-type electrode of the same electronic component; anelectrically-conductive elastic member, which has a first end and asecond end, wherein the first end is mechanically linked andelectrically connected to the first connecting portion of the supportivebase, while the second end is abutted to and in electrical connectionwith the first-type electrode of the battery cell; and anelectrically-conductive switching member, which is mounted on thesupportive base and electrically connected to the second connectingportion of the supportive base, and which is structured with a firstcontact portion and a second contact portion, wherein in the conditionthat the electrically-conductive elastic member is in unpressed state,the second end of the electrically-conductive elastic member urgesagainst the battery cell and thereby causes the second-type electrode ofthe battery cell to come in electrical contact with the first contactportion of the electrically-conductive switching member; and whereas inthe condition that the electrically-conductive elastic member is inpressed state due to the battery cell being subjected to an externalpressing force, the external pressing force on the battery cell causesthe second-type electrode of the battery cell to be separated andelectrically disconnected from the first contact portion of theelectrically-conductive switching member and meanwhile causes thefirst-type electrode of the battery cell to come in electrical contactwith the second contact portion of the electrically-conductive switchingmember.
 2. The press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the electroniccomponent is a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) memoryunit.
 3. The press-activated electronic component dischargingfacilitating apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery cellis a button cell.
 4. The press-activated electronic componentdischarging facilitating apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein thebattery cell is a lithium/magnesium dioxide battery cell.
 5. Thepress-activated electronic component discharging facilitating apparatusas recited in claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive elasticmember is made of metal.
 6. The press-activated electronic componentdischarging facilitating apparatus as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising: an electrically-conductive supportive disk, which isattached to the second end of the electrically-conductive elastic memberfor providing a support to the battery cell.